California Audio Show July 26th to 28th - Big Guest Speakers So Far

So this is quite an early notice but after talking to the staff at Dagogo they have some guest speakers that may be of interest to many of you. Each will have a seminar and will be answering questions, giving insights etc.

Audio Note - Peter Qvortrup
Pass Labs and First Watt - Nelson Pass
SoundLab (the best of the best of panel loudspeakers) - Dr. Roger West
Turntable Expert and set-up help (Hi-Fi +) - Michael Trei

More to come as it is just in the early stages thus far.

California Audio Show – San Francisco Bay Area/ Silicone Valley

I hope to see some of the posters here on the forum out this year.

 

My last update here for the California Audio Show. Flying back to Canada tonight. Grrr a 30+ hour day. And I am already falling asleep at hour 5 LOL

Seems like a small show but some more being added here and there from what I see. The room construction quality though is much better than most shows.

Hope to see some of you there.

California Audio Show – San Francisco Bay Area/ Silicon Valley

 

Interesting to see what decks and amps Rega show.

 

I am going, perhaps I will be the guy in the “winged tube” fez. I know that doesn’t narrow it down much.

 

On my way back to Vancouver from the show. It was considerably smaller than 2016 but the rooms were often full and I had more time to soend in the rooms I liked. I will break down my thoughts later. I found some good relatively affordable rooms, good big system big budget rooms.

I even found a SS amp that I REALLY liked. Maybe the first SS amp that didn't sound broken since the ole Sugden A21a circa 1995 that I regretted not buying. And a few narrow baffle speakers that were quite good too.

As with 2016, rooms with turntables and CD replay tended to sound a lot better than rooms with computer audio regardless of the price of the computer audio. I just don't understand why these demonstrators don't bring even a basic CD player. Perhaps afraid of direct competition whe the 20 year old Technics CD player for $129 trounces a Bricasti/dCS, MSB etc. Grrrr. I would like to hear that comparison at the very least!

 

how did the True Sound room sound with the new AN Mesishu?

 

I am not a fan of the 300B tube.

I am now.

Someone bought it.

When Peter Qvortrup put on the Noisia Split the Atom Dub trance music it was riduiculous bass at very high levels and you wonder why the hell Krell even exists.

I don't know if they were using the new Audio Note 300B tube. They had them in the room but you'd have to ask the showrunner if they had them in while listening.

I am pleased to say that Audio Note will be making the 45 and 2a3 output tubes as well and the preamp tubes 6sn7 etc.

 

Curious about what your thoughts are on the current Sungden line up are? Do you think the old A21a is better than their current versions?

Also maybe give us a hint about the new solid state amp you liked? I’m looking at moving away from tubes for the next few years and need some options.

 

I can't say about the Sugden as I have not compared old with new in the same system or even decade!

It was the Pure Audio amp in the Old Forge Room.

 

I should make one note. The Pure Audio is more than double the price of the Sugden. But about 5 times the power. And Dave at Old Forge also carries the Sugden.

 

Would that be Old Forge Studios in Mystic Connecticut? And thanks for the response.

 

Yes. But there may be dealers closer to you. Jack Roberts is getting the integrated for review. I don't hold out hope I can get anything in as I am in Hong Kong but I shall try. I've long searched for a SS reference power amp and it has potential for me to be that. But saving for Empress Silvers and my personal main system comes first. Oh and that Reference 3 TT and IQ3 were ridiculous and relatively sanely priced. I am getting my 2 uear contract bonus next month. LOL so...

 

It was the stock tubes

 

First part of my audio show report is up.

Just the big rooms so far

2019 CAS Report by Richard Austen, Part 1

 

This is the Peter Qvortrup Q&A posted by the Audio Federation.

Some other interviews at dagogo have been posted.

 

Part 2 show report is up

2019 CAS Report by Richard Austen, Part 2

Part 3 is the final part and is coming

 

Well my part 3 Show Report never got posted so I am posting it here.

California Audio Show Report – Part 3 (part 1)

So comes to an end CAS 2019. I enjoyed a number of rooms as well as meeting up with some of my fellow writers. I was pleased to see a large number of people under the age of 30 in attendance and enjoying many of the rooms.

Part 3 is dedicated to my two favorite normal sized listening rooms. Acapella was my favorite large room loudspeaker systems but for more of us the price and room requirements put such systems into the land of the top 1%.

Room 5220 Old Forge Audio – Pure Sound (Amplification) / Soundkaos (Speakers) / Wand (Turntable)

This is another one of those - “how do you get all of that sound out of such a tiny speaker” scenarios. Here’s the thing – I am not generally a fan of small speakers that strive for a lot of bass. They usually wind up sounding boom and sizzle to me and while I walk away impressed with the bass that is usually the only thing that impresses me. Not this time. These tiny speakers are four ways. They run $6,750 a pair (including dedicated stands) and I am told by Dave Cope that they will have an upgraded version coming.

I enjoyed the music here. Piano and acoustic instruments felt real and present and even though there was a mishap and the correct stands didn’t make it to the show – I felt this is what a small loudspeaker that promises big sound should be. There was feeling depth to the piano on Jackson Browne’s “The Pretender” as well as Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel.”

Vinyl was outstanding played via the Wand Turntable and tone arm ($5,600 combined). This fed into Pure Audio Vinyl phono stage ($4,500) to the Pure Audio ONE integrated amplifier($10,000). I was highly impressed with this solid state amplifier and I have requested a review sample. For my regular readers, you know I am not a fan of most solid state amplifiers. No the system wasn’t perfect – you could always ask for more bass or more air but this was a music delight.

Not my video

 

Part 3 final

Room 5226 – Audio Note UK / True Sound


By Sunday the Audio Note room separated itself from the pack as I spoke to a few musicians in attendance (two pianists) who were really rather taken with the rooms ability to recreate instruments with such realism. Like great theater one needs the suspension of disbelief. The Audio Note room was often packed and people, including myself, chuckling that so much sound could be attained from a 9 watt amplifier and a 300B no less.

Audio Note was showing their new version of their 300B Meishu called the Meishu Tonemeister. The previous Meishu has been in production for around 25 years and the new version makes upgrades utilizing the power supply design of the 211 Ongaku. At first I was a little worried that the sound would be too analticial or punchy losing the beauty and gentility associated with 300B tube amplifiers. This will always be a matter of taste as I was not a huge fan of the previous Meishu because I had felt it was too soft and gentle. But this new Meishu Tonmeister is just something else – it lives up to the name – it’s a Tonemeister. I can understand why they sold one during the show. It has seemingly endless power reserves and bass and body throughout.

The new TT3 turntable with PSU 2 power supply) there are three versions (levels of quality) of the power supply to control each of three motors. What was amazing about the sound of this front end was that it all came outof the IQ3 – a mere moving magnet cartridge. The showrunners this year played a wide variety of music from the standard classical and jazz to the body crunching dub-step techno music. All rendered beautifully.

 

The California Audio Show 2020 has been canceled - Apparently the website is still up so I thought it important to mention especially for dealers.